Local Re-enactors Find Film `As Real As Possible'

January 29, 1990|By JOSEPH PRYWELLER Staff Writer

On the subject of Civil War movies such as "Glory," the toughest critics don't necessarily work for the media.

There are hundreds of Civil War re-enactors in Hampton Roads. These are people whose hobby it is to dress up in authentic costumes and stage battle and encampment scenes in area parks. They join battalions based on actual military units.

There's even a group of state troopers in Maryland who re-enact the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment depicted in "Glory," said re-enactor Tom Schuster.

Most re-enactors are serious Civil War buffs. Many of them have seen "Glory."

"I saw it three times," said Schuster, a Williamsburg resident and member of the Confederate 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, nicknamed the Irish Brigade. "It was authentic. You'd have to be really into the Civil War to notice any problems."

Such as?

"The way they wore their kits, the way they moved when they marched, how they carried their weapons," Schuster said. "You could tell the actors from the re-enactors."

These guys are hard to please. Yet most Civil War re-enactors lay down their weapons and raise the victory flag when "Glory" is mentioned. For the most part, it accurately depicted regiment life in the War Between the States.

Todd Egnor, an employee at Jamestown Festival Park, said he was especially thrilled to see the correct Confederate battle flag depicted in "Glory."

"It was a later battle flag than what was used earlier in the war," said Egnor, a member of the 41st Virginia regiment, known as Mahone's Brigade. "It had orange trim instead of a white border. You don't see a lot of them."

The costumes and artillery got high marks from the re-enactors. In other Civil War movies, women wore long ball gowns usually reserved for fancier occasions, Egnor said. And men like John Wayne wore cowboy hats. In some previous Civil War films, flintlocks - long outdated by the time of the war - were used instead of authentic muskets, said re-enactor Gary Adams of Newport News.

"Sometimes, they use anything that's convenient," he said. "It's portrayed glamorously. But `Glory' was made as real as possible."

Adams mentioned that the film ended before it showed the way the real regiment met its demise, at least according to Northern history books. Death and burial were bloodier than what was depicted on-screen, he said.

"The diaries of some Confederate soliders disagree about that ending," Adams said. "Maybe it was best they didn't use it."

There were two other quibbles with "Glory." The film introduced some fictional characters in the battalion, Egnor said. And when the unit marched, it was too noisy, Schuster said. In Civil War days, a soldier's equipment was tied tightly to the side of his horse for safety. It didn't jangle like in the movie.

But those are minor flaws to most re-enactors. They take the position of Newport News resident Keith Bales, a member of the 1st Battalion Virginia Regulars.

"Movies like "Glory" share the same purpose as when we do re-enactments," Bales said. "Some of them romanticise the idea of war. Still, they tip the interest of the public so they can learn more about the war and what we fought over."

* The move "Glory" is playing at Patrick Henry Theatres in Newport News, Circle 4 Cinema in Norfolk and Lynnhaven Mall Lower Level in Virginia Beach.